Noah’s Mark: Maclauchlan Stuns Highly Touted Russell for Title at Saucon Valley

When the next World Amateur Golf Ranking® comes out in four days, Noah Maclauchlan won’t see the number 2,047 next to his name.

Thanks to a stunning 6-and-5 victory over the much-heralded Miles Russell, 17, of Jacksonville Beach, Fla., in Saturday’s 36-hole final of the 78th U.S. Junior Amateur Championship at Saucon Valley Country Club’s Old Course that figure will definitely make a sharp upward move.

Originally an alternate into the field, Maclauchlan, an 18-year-old incoming Liberty University freshman from Moseley, Va., a Richmond suburb, put on a brilliant display of shot making and putting to deny Russell, the No. 7 player in WAGR who was recently named to the 2026 USA Walker Cup Team, the one title missing from his remarkable résumé.

His name now will be etched on the Tiger Woods Trophy with three-time champion Woods, two-time winner Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, Johnny Miller, David Duval, Min Woo Lee, Will Zalatoris and Brian Harman.

“I don't really have words right now,” said Maclauchlan. “It's pretty surreal, pretty unbelievable to call myself a United States Junior champion. To have my name next to all the legends that have won this, including Tiger [Woods] and so many more, is so special.”

Maclauchlan’s victory earned him an exemption into the 127th U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links as well as spot in the next two U.S. Amateurs, including next month’s championship at Merion Golf Club, about an hour south of Saucon Valley C.C. He’s the second-lowest ranked player, according to WAGR, to win the U.S. Junior Amateur, following 2024 winner Trevor Gutschewski, who was 3,570 when he defeated lefty Tyler Watts. Watts, by the way, is currently the highest-rated junior in WAGR at No. 2 who is joining Russell on the USA Walker Cup Team. 

Maclauchlan now joins major champion Brian Harman (2003) and 2013 USA Walker Cupper Cory Whitsett (2007) as southpaws to etch their names on the Tiger Woods. This was the first individual USGA amateur final featuring left-handers; the 2024 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball championship match had one southpaw and one righty on each side.

Russell, the No. 2 seed who finished tied for 39th in last month’s U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills and is a 2027 Florida State verbal commit, was bidding to become the first medalist/co-medalist to win the Junior Amateur since Jordan Spieth in 2009. But it wasn’t meant to be for the two-time U.S. Junior Ryder Cup and 2024 U.S. Junior Presidents Cup competitor.

His other accomplishments: two-time American Junior Golf Association Player of the Year (2023, 2025), two-time Junior Players champ, two-time Junior Invitational at Sage Valley champion, 2023 PGA Junior winner and 2024 Rolex Tournament of Champions titlist. He also reached the quarterfinals of the 2025 U.S. Amateur, and the four-time U.S. Junior Amateur participant had reached the final eight the past two years.

Maclauchlan’s portfolio isn’t nearly as impressive, although his year has included a third-place finish in the AJGA’s RLX Ralph Lauren Junior Classic, a match-play event held at Bethpage State Park’s Black Course, runner-up finishes in the VSGA Junior Stroke Play and Scott Robertson Memorial and a win in the AJGA’s Lanto Junior Championship.

But the No. 49 seed can thank a recent USGA decision for even getting a spot in the field. Starting with the 2014 championship season, the USGA handed out exemptions for the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Women’s Amateur, U.S. Junior Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior to winners of Allied Golf Association amateur/junior events.

At the Portsmouth, Va., qualifier, Maclauchlan wound up as the first alternate, while his younger brother, Liam, a 2027 University of Virginia verbal commit, was the medalist. One of the other qualifiers was Rawlin Sutter, who a few days later would repeat as the Alabama State Junior Boys champion to become fully exempt into the U.S. Junior Amateur.

That meant the site’s first alternate (Maclauchlan) was now in the 264-player field.

USGA Left-Handed Champions

But in the opening round, Maclauchlan struggled to a 6-over 76 on the Grace Course, the stroke-play co-host venue. He rallied with a 68 on the Old Course to qualify for match play.

From there, he rode a wave of momentum that included knocking out two of the three co-medalists – No. 1 seed Brayden Jones in the Round of 16 (2 and 1) and Russell – as well as 2026 Western Junior champion Andrew Sciortino in the Round of 32 (3 and 1), 2026 Northwestern signee Kuan Zhou in the quarters (4 and 2) and top New Zealand junior Cooper Moore in the semis (1 up).

“I owe Rawlin Sutter a special thanks,” said Maclauchlan. “I'm sure I'll text him later, probably give him a call. But yeah, it was pretty surreal. Actually, he was at the qualifier that we all played in. Drove in the middle of the night with no sleep and then won the junior championship four days later. Pretty unreal stuff from the kid. But no, it hasn't really sunk in. I knew I had kind of a 50-50 chance and [I] didn't really expect much. So to be here now as the champion [it] still hasn't sunk in.”

Equally impressive was how he progressed through the draw, especially in the final two rounds. Maclauchlan registered nine birdies in his semifinal victory. Against Russell he made six birdies in the morning 18, taking a 1-up lead into the lunch break, and then posted seven more birdies against just one bogey in the afternoon round.

The margin of victory was the third largest since the USGA switched to a 36-hole format for the championship match in 2005. Only Cameron Peck’s 10-and-8 win over Evan Beck (2008) and Whitsett’s 8-and-7 decision over Anthony Paolucci (2007) were larger. For the record, Beck, the 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion, was an alternate into that field at Shoal Creek. Maclauchlan is believed to be the first alternate to win this championship.

Meanwhile, Russell struggled the entire day with his driver and playing approach shots from rough as deep as 6 inches on the Old Course is generally not a recipe for success. He only could muster five birdies over the match’s 31 holes. In comparison, he had five birdies and two eagles in his 2-and-1 semifinal win over U.S. National Junior Team member and No. 6 seed Tyler Mawhinney in Friday’s semis and he played 7-under golf in the 6-and-5 quarterfinal win over Washington State rising sophomore Dylan Boenning earlier that day.     

“It was a good match there the first 18, and kind of got my teeth kicked in there early [in the second 18],” said Russell, who is eligible try for a fifth and final time next year. “Kind of gave it my all there towards the end, and second 18 [I] just really couldn't get anything going. [I] was thinking that I was going to be able to hit my driver a little better than I did in the morning and that just wasn't the case. Just didn't give myself that many chances. Played a lot of good golf get here.”

From the 8 a.m. EDT start, this looked to be a birdie fest as two finalists each birdied the opening par 5 to begin the marathon day. But it was the Virginian who registered three more birdies over the next five holes to take a 3-up advantage going into the turn. Russell avoided further disaster with a remarkable up-and-down par from the fairway on No. 8 after his tee shot plugged in a bunker. His 4-foot conversion managed to tie the hole and keep his opponent from building upon his lead.

Maclauchlan then gifted him three consecutive holes from No. 11 with a bogey, double bogey and bogey. On the 327-yard 13th hole, it took Maclauchlan three strokes to extricate his ball from a greenside bunker. Russell, however, buried his 14-foot birdie putt, his first since the opening hole. He would take his first lead on the par-5 15th, draining a downhill 12-footer.

But a wayward drive on the 503-yard, par-4 16th led to a double bogey and a tied match. Maclauchlan would complete his six-birdie performance with an uphill 10-footer on Hole 17, allowing him to take the 1-up advantage into the lunch break. Both players made 3 on the 318-yard closing hole; Maclauchlan got up and down from greenside rough short and left of the putting surface.

Maclauchlan began the afternoon session the same way he did 5½ hours earlier with a 4 on the par-5 19th (No. 1 on the Old Course) for a 2-up lead that snowballed even further from that point on. Russell kept missing fairways and his opponent kept hitting greens and making putts. When Russell found the penalty area on the 21st, he conceded Maclauchlan’s birdie. By the turn the margin was 5 up. Another birdie on No. 28 put the Virginian 6 up and at that point; things began to seem out of reach for even the highest-ranked player in the field.

“I knew he wasn't just going to give it to me,” said Maclauchlan. “I was going to have to go out and earn it. I told my caddie, my brother, that I was playing really well and I felt comfortable that I could win if we just got off to a fast start. The other matches I'd won, I'd gotten off to fast starts on the front nine, and I did the same thing today.

“So, I had the same positive vibe going into the match. Then I said the same thing, pedal down going into the second 18, and we had a great start again. I think getting the momentum started early gave me confidence in my game and confidence that I could win.”

On the 327-yard, drivable 31st hole, MacLauchlan fittingly closed out the festivities with a 6-foot birdie.

Maclauchlan dropped to his knees as he was overcome with emotion. He shared a hug with Liam, who jumped on his bag after failing to qualify for match play. Family and friends followed closely, joining in the celebration. Back in Moseley, the family’s hometown a watch party was held at Magnolia Green Golf Club, a semi-private facility.

Then after the formal prize ceremony inside the clubhouse, Noah and Liam took a dive into Saucon Valley’s pool, an homage to what players do after winning The Chevron Championship. On a late-July summer day, the water probably felt terrific, and it was an idyllic way to end the competition.

This week, Maclauchlan’s game definitely took a leap of faith.

What the Champion Receives

• A gold medal
• Custody of the Tiger Woods Trophy for the ensuing year
• Exemption into the 2027 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach (Calif.) Golf Links
• Exemptions into the next two U.S. Amateurs; 2026 at Merion Golf Club, in Ardmore, Pa., and 2027 at Oak Hill Country Club, in Rochester, N.Y.
• Exemptions into all remaining U.S. Junior Amateur Championships for which he is age-eligible
• Name engraved on the 2026 USGA Champions’ plaque that will reside in the Hall of Champions inside the USGA Museum, in Liberty Corner, N.J.

Notable

• Runner-up Miles Russell received a silver medal and an exemption into next month’s U.S. Amateur at Merion. Before he returns to Pennsylvania, he’ll tee it up in next week’s Western Amateur at Beverly Country Club, in Chicago. The Walker Cup Match is in September at Lahinch, in the Republic of Ireland.
  
  
• This was the first of five USGA championships being contested at Saucon Valley Country Club through 2051. The club’s fourth and fifth U.S. Senior Opens are scheduled for 2032 and 2042, while the U.S. Women’s Amateur will be contested in 2038 andthe U.S. Amateur is set for 2051 which is the 100th-year anniversary of the first USGA event held at the club (1951 U.S. Amateur won by Billy Maxwell).
  
  
• The 79th U.S. Junior Amateur will be contested at Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash., from July 19-24. The Robert Trent Jones Jr. design previously hosted the 2010 U.S. Amateur (Peter Uihlein), 2015 U.S. Open (Jordan Spieth), 2021 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (Kiko Francisco Coelho and Leopoldo Herrera III) and 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur (Saki Baba).
  
  
• Noah Maclauchlan joins a list of USGA champions from Virginia that includes two-time U.S. Open champ Curtis Strange, 1947 U.S. Open champion Lew Worsham, U.S. Amateur winners Lanny Wadkins and Marvin “Vinny” Giles and 2024 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Evan Beck.
  
  
• As is the tradition at USGA amateur competitions, the finalists were able to special-order their lunch. Noah Machlauchlan went with a rib-eye steak (medium), mashed potatoes and green beans. Miles Russell chose blackened chicken with white rice and guacamole.
  
  
• Besides his 17-year-old brother/caddie Liam, Noah Maclauchlan had several family members among his support group, including his father, Tim, mother, August, 7-year-old brother, Huxley and grandpa. His uncle, Peter Maclauchlan made the three-hour drive from Upstate New York (Corning area) and approximately 10 other friends, including rival golfers who drove in from Virginia.
  
  
• Miles Russell just had his immediate family at Saucon Valley: father (Joe), mother (Keli), younger sister (Josie).
  
  
• John Reis, working his 33rd U.S. Junior Amateur as a volunteer Rules official, served as the first-tee starter for the morning 18 of the 36-hole final, while USGA Executive Committee member Bryan Lewis had the honor for the afternoon 18. Lewis competed in the 1980 U.S. Junior Amateur. The referees were David Osborne (morning 18) and Tim Hulscher (afternoon 18).

Quotable

“My brother just told me to remain calm, take deep breaths and kind of slow down the walk a little bit. Go back into your process. I was 3 up and suddenly I was 1 down, so the entire day had flipped, and it felt like the world was spinning. But this year, especially in this tournament, I've shown some real resilience with being down early and bringing it back to contend. It's not a situation I prefer to be in, but it's a situation I'm used to, and I was able to do it again.” – Noah Maclauchlan on how he dealt with Miles Russell’s late momentum in the morning 18

“Oh, man like Rickie Fowler, I think that'd be so cool, or Max Homa. Those are kind of the guys that I like right now. Obviously, if I got paired with Rory [McIlroy], that would just be unbelievable. That still hasn't really sunk in yet. The fact that I get to play in the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach next year... I remember watching Gary Woodland win there [in 2019]. It's just unbelievable that it's going back there and I get to be a part of that field.” – Maclauchlan when asked about possible practice-round partners in next year’s U.S. Open

“I don't have a specific number of shots, but he definitely saved a ton. He keeps me in check. When I come to a decision really quickly, he's there to slow it down and make sure, 'Hey, is this the right club? Right number? Are we judging the wind right?' There were a lot of talks on the golf course, which kept it light. We were able to lock in when it was time to be serious, but when it was time to take it easy for a second and have a normal conversation, he could do that. It was the best having him on the bag, and he helped me a lot this week.” – Maclauchlan on having younger brother, Liam, on the bag

“I think we figured some stuff out with my yardages and distance control. At least during the week; didn't quite show that today. But it was [a] great [week] and putted it well.” – Miles Russell

David Shefter is a senior staff writer at the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org